The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday that it has filed criminal charges against Lompoc Councilmember Stephen Bridge for allegedly embezzling more than $10,000 public funds meant for a city rebate program that promotes energy and water conservation.
The full list of eight felony counts includes forgery, identity theft, grand theft by embezzlement, and fraudulent use of a contractor’s license number. Bridge will be arraigned December 4 in Santa Maria Superior Court.
“We are aware of the charges filed against Mr. Bridge today,” said a City of Lompoc spokesperson. “The city will continue to work with the District Attorney’s office throughout the investigation.”
Bridge did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the criminal complaint, between February 2024 and March 2025, Bridge submitted false invoices for electrical and plumbing work ostensibly carried out by “Turner Construction,” and then applied for rebates through the city’s newly enacted program.
The contractor’s license number that Bridge listed for Turner Construction is registered to a firm in Escondido and expired in 1994, according to a search of California’s State License Board.
Prosecutors said one of the false invoices was submitted to Certain Sparks Music, a recording studio and education center located in Old Town Lompoc. Bridge’s son, who serves on the city’s Planning Commission, is a co-owner of the business.
Authorities said a second forged invoice was submitted to BBES, a management and technology consulting firm that lists Bridge as its founder and CEO. A third was submitted to the Lompoc chapter of Odd Fellows, a civic organization that Bridge is involved with.
Bridge was elected in November 2024 to represent District 1 and has sat on the council for a little less than a year. He formerly served as president of the Lompoc Valley Flower Festival and, according to his LinkedIn page, is a “serial entrepreneur” who also works with NASA at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
